The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-09-23
PENSION REPORT.
Annual Report az the Conmissioner q
POnslooa.

Annual Report of the CommissioneP q
Pensione.
WASHINGTON, Sept. l6-0eueral ]. c.
Black, Commissioner of Pensions, IN his an
nual report to the Secretary Of tho Interior
states that during the past quarter OF acen-
fury the Bureau Of Pensions has developed
from an uncomfortable office to one whose
clientage Is unsurpassed IN numbers,
whose disbursements are very great and
whose operations are extended into almost
every county, township and district in the
United States, and that this development
has rendered necessary great and radical
changes and a reorganization of the meth
DDS Of the bureau. The suggestions of the
Commissioner are important, and are Us fol-
lows:
F'irst-The allowance Of two dollars per
month to minor children entitled to PEN
sions is inadequate for their support, and
should be increasedto five dollars per month.
Second-That the act Of June 16, 1880, be
80 amended as to permit the act to be ex-
tended to those who, subsequent to the
date Of its appro val, from aggravation OF
their malady may have become helpless.
Third-That the existing law that Q
widows pension certificate can only bear
date from the day on which she files her
application should be amended so as to
allow the commencement Of pc nsion to datO
from the deaf h of her husband, tie other
consideration required by the law being
present.
Fourth-That section AIS OF the revised
statutes be so amended as to prohibit the
payment of more than one pension TO tho
same person.
Fifth-That the law requiring a pension
to be graded according to the rank Of the
claimant at the time the injury was re-
ceived should be am ended SO that the rank
subsequently acquired bona fide may be
considered by the Commissioner IN deter
mining the am cunt of pension to be al
lowed.
Sixth-That the present rate for deaf
ness should be increased by law to $50 per
month fortotal deafness, with intermediate
grades to be determined, according TO the
degree of disa bility.
Seventh That discretion should he
lodged in the Commissioner in correcting
discrepancies in rates of pension for loss OF
limbs, or Congress should he asked to es-
tablish q table of rates for loss of limbs In
making this suggestion the Commissioner
says: 1.-THE existing laws upon this point
are inharmonIous and are unjust. There Is
no sufficient reason why, if the amputation
of leg ut the hip joint entities Il claimant
to S45 per month, the loss OF an arm should
together be rated at but $50. If, again, <45
be taken as proper pension FOR leg am
putated at the hip JOINT, then the disability
for performing manual labor from the loss
of the foot and the hand should not be
graded at less figure. There are in
stances in which the loss of a single limb is
ap entire dsablement for the performance
OF manual labor in consequence Of the nery-
Gus and other Affections which follow.
There are certainly instances in which the
loss of two members of the body IS followed
by an equally great disability"
Eighth-That the law be amended so
that the Commissioner shall be authorized
to pay the pension to the wife of pen
sioner, or to a suitable person on behalf OF
his children, when the habits OF pen
sioner show him to be an unfit person to I'd
ceive or disburse the pension.
Ninth-That an appropriation OF $1S,O0O
be made to defray the expenses OF addi-
tiOnal necessary pension agencies.
Tenth-That an additional clerical force
be allowed to enable the Commissioner,
without making extra demands upon the
clerks now in the service, to complete and
satisfy the Mexican pension claims, of
which 5000 have been allowed since the
passage of the act.
The report shows that the total number
of persons i'll Kansas now drawing PEN
sions is l1.4Sl at quarterly disbursement
OF S5I9 SG3.GO, while Missouri has ii, 1S9
pensioners at q quarterly disbursement OF
$4S3 21JB